A painting by Mario Zammit-Lewis has been chosen as the cover image of the latest book by Italian author Teresa Fessia.

While visiting Zammit Lewis’s solo exhibition at the Casa del Conte Verde civic museum in Rivoli, Italy, last November, Fessia was captivated by “the sensitivity” of his painting Love is in the Air.

“Back then, I was about to publish my short stories collection Uomini through the Italian publishing house Booksprint, and I thought that the painting would be perfect as a book cover, albeit mildly at odds with the themes of the book,” Fessia said.

She explained that the stories mainly concern the conflicts and the power imbalances that often characterise relationships between men and women, “usually at the detriment of the latter,” she noted.

However, Fessia still thought that the painting would fit perfectly, as it depicts not only a loving relationship, but perhaps even “the ambiguity or illusion of love”.

“More importantly, what really came through was the feeling of completeness which every woman wishes to achieve in her life,” she said.